9 Worst Signs of Aging and How to Treat Them

The signs of aging need no introduction. We all experience them at some point in our life, and although most of them may seem irreversible, there are things you can do to lessen their appearance. Thinning hair, turkey neck, spotted hands, wimpy eyebrows, and face wrinkles aren't things you have to submit to, if you know the secrets to keeping them at bay. Allow us to share the tricks of the worst signs of aging in your body, complete with the best home solutions and the most recommended medical treatments available.

1. Dull, thinning hair

There are a number of reasons why thinning hair occurs, childbirth is one of them, as is the use of certain medications, as well as stress. However, we all know it is also a permanent sign of aging, brought on by the hormonal changes that happen especially around menopause.

What you can do at home: Find out whether you have a thinning problem by doing the following: gently pull a small hank of hair from the scalp all the way down to the ends. If you end up with more than six hairs in your hand, you are likely to have a thinning problem. Treat it at home by sustaining yourself with hair-loss preventing foods, especially those packed with vitamin C, iron and omega-3, and by trying out natural remedies such as the use of aloe vera, onion juice, coconut milk, and more.

What you can do at the doctor's: Thinning hair may also be a sign of serious health issues such as lupus, thyroid disease and anemia. To certify the cause, ask your doctor for a blood test. Medical treatments for thinning hair include prescriptions for antiandrogen medications or over the counter Rogaine treatment.

2. Turkey neck

If there's one thing more dreaded than wrinkles on the face, it's the turkey neck. This is seen as sagging skin in the neck area, which unfortunately, is likely to give away our age more easily.

What you can do at home: By applying moisturizers that contain peptides for collagen production, you will be helping your skin hydrate and look brighter. You may even try out this easy neck and toning exercise regularly for further improvements. When it comes to clothing, Alison Deyette suggests wearing tops with ruffles or prints to draw attention away from your neck, and opt for long necklaces instead of short ones.

What you can do at the doctor's: Treatments for turkey neck are widely available today. They include Fraxel Laser Treatment (which improves the skin's texture), Botox (which can soften vertical lines), as well as radiofrequency and light devices, Thermage or ReFirme, which stimulate the production of collagen in the neck.

3. Sagging breasts

Women tend to lose tissue and fat in their breasts with age, leading to a loss of fullness. Aside from aging, other things can contribute to this sagging, such as breast-feeding, poor breast support and low levels of estrogen.

What you can do at home: Make sure the bra you are using is not making your breasts sag even more. Bra fitter Patti Ficorilli recommends one way of determining this: Stand sideways in front of a mirror with your elbows bent at 90 degrees. Ideally, the fullest part of your breasts should be between your elbows and shoulders. If they're low, tighten the straps. If this doesn't do the trick or your bra hikes up at the back, you should probably buy a new bra.

What you can do at the store: When buying a bra, make sure you ask for a professional fitting. Find out your actual size and try different styles on to see what fits you best. If you're looking for good support, you should probably go for seamed cups, and if you're full-busted, you may want to consider minimizer styles, which can make you look up to an inch smaller.

4. Spotted hands

As a result of loss of collagen, sun damage, and of course, aging, brown spots start to appear on the body, especially in the hands. Reduce their appearance as much as possible by taking preventive measures or staying on the lookout for the latest methods.

What you can do at home: Since sun damage leads to the growth of these spots, it follows that sunscreen is a great way to protect your hands. Additionally, you should keep your hands well-hydrated as much as possible, by keeping a tube of moisturizer handy. Trying out these natural remedies for age spots could also do wonders. When it comes to nail polish, try to pick colors that are pale rather than dark, to avoid drawing more attention to your hands.

What you can do at the doctor's: Treatments such as those involving laser can help greatly in repairing sun damage and improving the look of your hands. You can even opt for photodynamic therapy, a light-based treatment), which is known to fade age spots and increase collagen production.

5. Sore feet

Your life has practically been lived to the detriment of your poor feet. It is only natural that they start to shows signs of soreness as you age. This can happen in the form of bunions, calluses, and cracked heels - all of which can lead to discomfort, especially when wearing certain shoes.

What you can do at home: Make it a must to moisturize your feet before going to bed, or try out these natural remedy procedures. Above all, find out the best shoe varieties to make sure you provide your feet the full comfort they deserve - some of the best brands include Aerosoles, Söfft, or Cole Haan.

What you can do at the doctor's: You may ask your doctor for cortisone injections or surgery procedures that could treat feet issues such as painful bunions. 

6. Wimpy brows and lashes

One of the things every aging woman wishes to reverse is the loss of hair on the face. Eyebrows and eyelashes can surely keep you looking youthful, especially when enhanced with the use of makeup. The loss happens due to changing hormones, as well as years of over-tweezing, which damages the eyebrow follicles and makes them unable to grow back.

What you can do at home: According to make up expert Jeannie Mai, you could hide thin areas by using a small-angled brush and an eye shadow the shade of your hair to create soft strokes in that area. Alternatively, you could choose to apply false lashes for a great look.

What you can do at the doctor's: Your doctor could suggest Latisse (bimatoprost), which is an FDA-approved Rx solution known to treat glaucoma and stimulate lash growth.

7. Wrinkled knees and elbows

The areas that tend to wrinkle the fastest in our body, after the face, are the knees and the elbows. These can often be found to go dry quickly and develop flaky patches. The sooner you start to care for these areas, the less disappointed you will be later on.

What you can do at home: A moisturizer that contains ammonium lactate or urea can really soothe the areas of dry skin. For beauty purposes, you may even want to use a tinted body moisturizer, especially for your knees, to give an all-over glow and soften the sight of your wrinkles.

What you can do at the doctor's: One of the options you can consider for knee wrinkle treatment is what Demi Moore had famously done - a knee lift. However, there are other less expensive options, such as yoga. With poses like Chair, Warrior I, and Warrior II. Yoga has many benefits known to strengthen the knee joins and tighten the skin and muscles surrounding it. 

8. Fine lines and wrinkles

The lack of collagen and elasticity in the skin result in some of the most obvious signs of aging - fine lines and wrinkles on the face. These are likely to form in areas that get contracted most frequently when we smile, frown, laugh, and squint.

What you can do at home: Cosmetic dermatologist Tina B. West suggests that for the best skin-care results, one should regularly use antioxidants (which help fight free radicals), sunscreen, and retinoids. Furthermore, include the best wrinkle-preventing foods to your diet, and try out these home-made natural remedies to prevent wrinkles around the entire body.

What you can do at the doctor's: Your doctor may recommend treatments such as Botox, fillers and lasers, which are some of the most popular options for wrinkle reduction. Generally, Botox is used for the upper part of the face (such as for forehead lines) and fillers are used for the lower half (for laugh lines and thin lips).

9. Fading smile

The brightness of your smile is definitely something you wouldn't want to lose as you age. However, it can happen when tooth enamel starts to wear away and the teeth start to take a yellow hue. Luckily there are things you can do to slow down this process.

What you can do at home: Apart from using whitening gels in trays, there are several ways you can whiten your teeth naturally, such as by using aloe, banana, or baking soda. If plaque is something that hinders your smile, there are various natural ways to treat this too.

What you can do at the doctor's: There are several teeth-whitening toothpastes and other products your dentist may recommend for yellow teeth. One of them is Zoom! Professional Teeth Whitening, which according to cosmetic dentist Debra Gray King, gives the best results.